Tempting Talent

What Tempting Talent does

Tempting Talent is a privately held, VC-backed executive search and rec-to-rec staffing agency operating in the United States and United Kingdom. The firm specializes in placing revenue-generating talent (Partners, Principal Consultants, Senior Consultants, Consultants, and Associate Consultants) inside other executive search firms, staffing companies, and venture capital or private equity talent teams, with three named service lines: Executive Search (leadership roles across PE, Product & Engineering, and Global Executive Search practices), TT Staffing (placements across Financial Services, Construction Management, Engineering, and Life Sciences), and TT VC & PE Talent (VP of Talent Acquisition, Head of Talent, and Talent Associate placements at investment funds).

The firm's underlying assets are domain expertise and a proprietary compensation database rather than a software platform. Tempting Talent publishes annual industry compensation reports for the Executive Search and Staffing sectors, the Engineering the Partner Guarantee report on Partner guarantee structures, and the Staffing Expansion Strategies report on secondary US markets; together these draw on data from 10,000+ staffing professionals and 200+ Partner-level compensation discussions across approximately 50 US executive search firms. No AI/ML, API, SDK, or app products are disclosed; the technology stack is described as standard professional services tooling.

The business model is fee-based professional services: revenue is generated by placing recruitment and executive search professionals with client firms on a per-engagement basis, with pricing that is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led direct engagement with senior decision-makers (CEOs, Founders, Managing Partners) at executive search firms, staffing businesses, and VC/PE talent functions, supplemented by content marketing through the Insights & Updates blog, annual compensation reports (used as mid-funnel lead magnets), conference participation and keynotes, email/SMS campaigns, and LinkedIn. The firm operates from a US regional HQ at Sabadell Financial Center in Miami, a general office at Victoria Mainline Station in London, and a UK registered office at Bishop's Stortford, with two legal entities (Tempting Talent Limited in England and Tempting Talent USA Inc in Florida).

Name

Tempting Talent

Legal name

Tempting Talent Limited & Tempting Talent USA Inc

Website

https://temptingtalent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tempting Talent is a VC-backed executive search and rec-to-rec staffing agency placing revenue-generating talent (Partners, Consultants, Associates) inside other executive search firms, staffing companies, and venture capital or private equity talent teams across the United States and the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS) (BPACAPAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employer Brand Strategy & Talent Branding (BPAFAEAH)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Recruitment to recruitment
• Staffing agency solutions
• Compensation benchmarking reports
• Talent acquisition consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Recruitment and Executive Search Placement Services: The company generates revenue by placing recruitment and executive search professionals with client firms. They operate across three main verticals: Executive Search, Staffing, and VC & PE Talent. Their client base includes US-based executive search firms and UK firms entering the US market.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tempting Talent is a rec-to-rec (recruitment-to-recruitment) executive search and staffing agency that places revenue-generating talent — Partners, Consultants, and Associates — within other executive search firms, staffing businesses, and VC/PE talent teams. It operates three practice areas (Executive Search, TT Staffing, TT VC & PE Talent) and supplements placements with annual compensation benchmarking reports drawn from a proprietary database of 10,000+ staffing professionals.

Product overview

Tempting Talent is an Executive Search and Rec-to-Rec staffing agency offering three core service lines: Executive Search (retained search for leadership roles), TT Staffing (staffing solutions for recruitment firms), and TT VC & PE Talent (specialized talent acquisition for venture capital and private equity firms). The company also produces industry research publications including annual compensation reports for Executive Search and Staffing sectors, a Staffing Expansion Strategies report analyzing secondary US markets, and an Engineering the Partner Guarantee report on compensation structures in executive search. The portfolio is unified around talent acquisition for the recruitment and investment industries rather than a traditional platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Rec-to-rec retained executive search services placing leadership roles within other executive search firms, with specialization in Private Equity, Product & Engineering, and Global Executive Search Practice placements.
• TT Staffing Staffing solutions for recruitment firms, including permanent placement and contingency search services across Financial Services, Construction Management, Engineering, and Life Sciences sectors.
• TT VC & PE Talent Specialized talent acquisition services for Venture Capital and Private Equity firms, including VP of Talent Acquisition, Head of Talent, and Talent Associate placements for investment funds and portfolio companies.
• 2025 Executive Search Compensation Report Annual industry-wide research covering base draw/commission by vertical, quality of learning and development, benefits, and progression opportunities within the Executive Search sector.
• 2025 Staffing Compensation Report Annual industry-wide research covering base draw/commission by vertical, quality of learning and development, benefits, and progression opportunities within the Staffing sector.
• Staffing Expansion Strategies Report Analysis of secondary markets to inform staffing expansion strategies, including compensation benchmarks, cost of living analysis, and market size data across key secondary US staffing markets.
• Engineering the Partner Guarantee Report Research report on the evolution of Partner Guarantees for Executive Search, including different guarantee model structures and their strengths and weaknesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Most consultants confirm their first deal within 5 weeks (for their own recruitment)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Up Group: UK-based rec-to-rec specialist placing revenue generators into executive search and staffing firms. Direct competitor to Tempting Talent in the narrow rec-to-rec niche with comparable operating model and client base.
• Skills Alliance: Executive search firm specializing in placing leadership within recruitment, staffing, and search businesses globally. Direct peer serving the same rec-to-rec buyer profile.
• Redgrave Search: US-based rec-to-rec executive search firm placing partner- and consultant-level talent into search firms. Closely comparable specialist offering to Tempting Talent's TT Staffing line.
• Stapleton International: Rec-to-rec and executive search firm focused on placing senior talent within the recruitment industry. Overlaps materially with Tempting Talent in both vertical and US/UK markets.

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search firm focused on senior leadership and board advisory. Comparable as a broad incumbent that Tempting Talent's clients could alternatively engage for senior placements.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global executive search and organizational consulting firm. Operates in the same executive search service category as Tempting Talent and absorbs several Lucas Group-style talent placements.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search incumbent serving CEO and C-suite searches across all industries. Does not specialize in rec-to-rec but competes for executive search assignments in adjacent contexts and validates the broader market.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm focused on board-level and senior leadership placements. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the executive search category where Tempting Talent operates.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm placing C-level and board talent across industries. Overlaps with Tempting Talent in the executive search delivery model though its scope is much broader.

Regional players

• Aero Report / Vale Group (Vale Recruitment): UK-based rec-to-rec and executive search support firm operating across similar recruitment-industry verticals. Comparable specialist niche but primarily UK rather than US-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tempting-talent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tempting Talent